To @chanj, I entirely agree...I wasn't implying that Apple should be getting into home automation business and integrated everything, that would be insane...I was just trying to make the point that that since there are several, if not hundreds, of companies supplying various pieces of the home automation puzzle that it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to make it work smoothly...it is so much easier to make it happen in a car or in a computer alone (although even my PC crashes or hangs up quite regularly)...Kris

Why should consumers bother with Xanboo, Insteon, Zigbee and ZWave systems when they already have WiFi and Internet capabilities? Shouldn't vendors simply make devices that connect as IP devices to the legacy networks we already use? Do we really want to be buying appliances and risking another VHS / Betamax debacle?

In order to have home automation to be a achievable project, various standards have to be properly built. Gadgets have to be developed accordingly and there shall have various vendors be the suppliers. People may want a LG refrigerators, a Samsung washer and dryers, a Sony TV, Honeywell themostat. A family member may want an Apple iPhone while another may want a Nokia Lumia or Android. Last but not least, the confidence that these gadgets work. It takes time and effort to make it real. I don't believe Apple alone can make it happen. No company has ever been almighty. That's why teamwork is so important. That's how a society is built.

thank you @PJames for your perspective...I am pretty sure people will want to control their thermostats thru their smartphones etc so the issues will come up...I believe I am reasonably educated user of electronics but I already have issues hooking up everything I have at home to work...my laser printer doesn't work with the computer I bought (HP no longer supports that driver), all my remotes are messed up, I have some IP address conflicts with my wireless devices, etc...I already work as a local IT support guy for my family, free of charge without any desire to do so and I really don't want to learn on how to do embedded system design when my refrigerator starts heating up and my thermostat decides to freeze me in the winter ;-)...Kris

That is probably an overly pessimistic view. A properly designed embedded controller in an appliance, even if adding networking and sophisticated configuration options, need not be buggy. A majority of consumer dissatisfaction with devices that crash is based upon platforms which are routinely extended with software, apps and even malware, from a multiplicity of sources, where interactions are never tested. If we end up with thermostats that are downloading Java scripts and refrigerators onto which we are loading apps, then we will undoubtedly be adding headache to our lives.

I am somewhat skeptical whether people will use these systems and start automating their home environment. Unless all gadgets are designed by Apple this heterogeneous integration of devices from different vendors will not work well and you will have to re-boot your system at least once a day...Kris